Whitaker Brothers Limited
Whitaker Brothers Limited (1870-1946) were an early steampowered construction machinery firm based at Horsforth near Leeds England. They were an early small mechanical engineering business who designed, invented and produced their own original steam cranes as well as piledrivers mainly for construction work and railway services. 1911-Taken over by the Ruston, Proctor and Company of Lincoln, England. 1912-Rail-mounted steam-powered pile drive for Central Argentine Railway. Company History Whitaker Brothers Limited were one of the first inventors that were specialised in powerful steam powered excavator alongside their own steam powered railway cranes much of them were once popular for their longevity and clever engineering methods employed in their design and use of early mechanicals found on their medium 10T to large 20T or larger production original models. Many were still working as late as the 1950s and 1960s when most of their machinery were replaced by diesel powered improved machines. Resembling many other models at the time but offering a bigger model range than other British manufacturers like Appleby Brothers, Craven Brothers Limited, Grafton & Co. Ltd to mention just a few and many more at the time and Grafton & Co Limited went on to accomplish 100 years of crane manufacturing in 1998 and are considered the grandfather of crane makers by some. That year in 1998 also saw the huge Coles Cranes Limited company reach a century of existence although under another name and owner. Whitaker Brothers Limited by the 1900s the firm were receiving seemingly endless orders to all corners of the UK for their cranes and excavators which was something unusual for a company that was producing both types of machinery at the time as the closest rivals were Priestman Brothers from Marfleet near Hull and Ransomes & Rapier Limited of Ipswich in Suffolk, two very different, independent specialists who were making original excavating and lifting heavy equipment for a very long time, themselves also began using steam-powered engines and each of them were already developing an interesting model range available in several different sizes at that time. In 1911 Whitaker Brothers Limited were taken over by another larger company called Ruston, Proctor and Company a Lincoln-based agricultural tractor and traction engine among other farm equipment specialist who were a very long established firm. They then provided a growing distribution dealership network to all corners of the UK for Whitaker Brothers Limited machinery models for sale alongside the then Ruston-Proctor original agricultural equipment model range for quicker sales. That plan would later help Whitaker Brothers in developing and production of much improved heavier, larger capacity new cranes, excavators and piledrivers although still using steam-powered mechanicals. By 1912 the firm received almost 500 orders for Railway Service Steamcranes for the South American Railways in Argentina and Brazil who would be aided by their owners Ruston, Proctor and Company who were better experienced in doing so, of which hundreds of their steam engines and steam tractors were on the verge of being exported there too. In Argentina and Brazil alone being big countries, sales were healthy and enjoyed some popularity as there were not many types of these machines around except for American and Canadian wellknown makes and models imported to South America, so whatever vintage construction and farming equipment that existed there, everything had been replaced by modern European machinery mainly new railway steamcranes and new steamdriven piledrivers available in railway version and roadgoing versions. Then by the 1930s further oveseas production orders came from Australia and New Zealand where the British Commonwealth Authorities and the British Empire those days wanted to further expand their important Railway Network and Railroad Construction to connect all corners of these two countries even when it was later declared WW2. Therefore in order to do that Whitaker Brothers sent a further shipment of their ordered new equipment to arrive almost four months later after, using a shipfleet of 50 steamships to meet the demand. Unfortunately because of WW2 not all of these loaded cargo vessels actually made it to the Sydney docks and Wellington harbours safely with their load undamaged and unscathed. Whitaker Brother Limited situation was in a brittle status because of a number of reasons and the company found themselves running into financial problems so it was decided to develop petrol-driven powerplants and several prototypes were made for the first time in their history in order to keep themselves active. Later the firm invented a new model the Whitaker Brothers Railway Service Crane 36T which was built as a prototype that combined a large excavator with a railway crane, itself resembled a quarry dragline but modified as an Emergency Service Rail crane that could lift anything up to 45T and could rotate 360 degrees with a proper safety drivers cab installed and as its running gear used an early Lorry Petrol engine due to its purpose and size made it a good machine for use in mines and quarries in and around Leeds during the 1940s it proved a new succesful model with over 250 of them were produced. Like so many other domestic historic and present manufacturers, Whitaker Brothers Limited would later find an aggressive crane and excavator market on the British Isles in the 1940s and elsewhere these were being sold, but then being a small firm they could not compete with much larger similar but modern brandnames those days. Their current owners now renamed Ruston and Hornsby concluded that it wouldn't be viable or worth keeping that company working together with them anymore, so it was later decided to invest more into their own development and the manufacturing of new Ruston branded diesel engines and gas-turbine engines for their newest machines and other roadvehicles they made, so the decision was made to end and close for good Whitaker Brothers Limited in 1946. Photo Galley of 'Whitaker Brothers Limited' original machinery A 1889 Whitaker Brothers Navvy Steam Excavators.jpg|A 1889 Whitaker Brothers Navvy Steam Excavators A 1899 Whitaker Brothers Navvy Steam Excavator.jpg|A 1899 Whitaker Brothers Navvy Steam Excavator A 1904 Whitaker Brothers Navvy 20 T Steam Excavator.jpg|A 1904 Whitaker Brothers Navvy 20T Steam Excavator A pair of Whitaker Brothers Steamcranes with a JH Wilson Steamcrane all working at the Manchester Ship Canal in 1906.jpg|A pair of 1906 Whitaker Brothers Navvy Steam Excavators with a J.H.Wilson Steam Excavator building the Manchester Ship Canal A 1910 Whitaker Brothers Combined Steam Excavator-Transporter.jpg|A 1910 Whitaker Brothers Combined Steam Excavator-Transporter A 1912 Whitaker Brothers Railway Locomotive Steam Piledriver.jpg|A 1912 Whitaker Brothers Railway Locomotive Steam Piledriver A 1914 Whitaker Brothers Railway Steamcrane awaiting restoration.jpg|A 1914 Whitaker Brothers Railway Steamcrane Number 130 now awaiting restoration in England A 1914 Whitaker Brothes Railway Steamcrane Number 130 preserved today at Leeds.jpg|A 1914 Whitaker Brothers Number 130 Railway Steamcrane preserved today in Leeds A 1920s Whitaker Brothers Combined Steam Crane-Excavator.jpg|A 1920s Whitaker Brothers Steampowered Navvy Road Crane-Excavator A 1930s Whitaker Brothers Railway Service Steamcrane working in the 1950s.jpg|A 1930s Whitaker Brothers 20T Steam Railcrane that still worked until the 1950s and 1960s A 1940s Whitaker Brothers Railway Steam Excavator working.jpg|A 1940s Whitaker Brothers Steampowered Railway Excavator in a yard at work An original Whitaker Brothers nameplate found on a steamcrane.jpg|An original Whitaker Brothers Limited company nameplate on a railway steamcrane References * Graces Guide See also * Construction Plant Manufactures External links Category:Companies based in Leeds Category:Companies founded in the 1870s Category:Companies disestablished in 1946 Category:Defunct companies based in Leeds Category:Crane manufacturers Category:Steam shovels